Endorse Responsibly

November 10, 2010 — DaddyWells

Republican House Representative Spencer Bachus of Alabama was disappointed with the congressional election results, The National Journal reports.

“The Senate would be Republican today except for states [in which Palin endorsed candidates] like Christine O’Donnell in Delaware,” Bachus said at the November 4 meeting in Columbiana, Ala. “Sarah Palin cost us control of the Senate.”

The Associated Press (via WaPo) reported that a spokesman for Bachus said the comments where taken out of context but did not retract them. The accusation is difficult to legitimize because Palin endorsed 64 candidates running for Senate and House seats, Governorships, Attorney General (Iowa and Florida) and Secretary of State (Alabama). Of the endorsed candidates, 32 won their races, 17 lost them and 5 are undecided.

The Republican victory could have been sweeter.

“If you think Republicans are in charge in Washington, you can wipe that thought from your mind,” Bachus said. “Democrats are in control of the presidency and the Senate. It would take 67 votes to override any veto.”

Of the candidates that received Palin endorsements, the ones that received the most press attention also lost their races.

“Congressman Bachus, like other political observers, said that seats in states like Delaware and Nevada could have been won by stronger candidates, and that’s a lesson going forward,” Johnson said. Bachus’s spokesman added that the boss, in his speech, was “extremely complimentary of the tea party movement and Governor Palin in crediting them with the great turnout of conservatives that led to many of the successes on Tuesday.”

Was there a difference between endorsements? Were all candidates endorsed equally?